Modern computing systems generate heat during operation. The heat may affect certain platform components of a system, and is therefore generally required to be dissipated or removed from the system. Heat generated by the computing system may be limited or reduced using various thermal management techniques and/or heat dissipation techniques. For example, heat generated by a processor may be dissipated by a heat exchanger. Heat transfer through a heat exchanger may be enhanced by creating a flow of air using a fan or blower. Further, various platform-level cooling devices may be implemented in conjunction with the fan or blower to enhance heat dissipation, such as heat pipes, heat spreaders, heat sinks, vents, phase change materials or liquid-based coolants.
Traditional blowers used in portable computing systems generate a flow of air from an inlet parallel to the axis of rotation (e.g. the axial direction) to an outlet substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation or from an inlet parallel to the axis of rotation to an outlet that is also parallel to the axis of rotation. Traditional fans, such as axial fans and centrifugal blowers, also include a large volume in the center of the impeller where a motor is located. These and other factors may be problematic in notebook computers, for example, because these traditional fans require inlet and/or outlet gaps above and/or below the fan housing and also require additional space to accommodate the motor. Because of the size constraints of notebook computers and other mobile computing devices, the cooling capacity of traditional systems is thermally limited by the size of fan and motor that can be accommodated inside a notebook computer enclosure while allowing sufficient space for inlet gaps and a motor above and/or below the fan housing. Furthermore, the form factor of notebook computers and other mobile computing devices continues to decrease in size, resulting in less available space for cooling components. Consequently, a need exists for improved cooling techniques mobile computing devices.